Some E92 advise please :)

Princey

Princey

Princey

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Afternoon,

As some of you know I've been looking to replace my Astra VXR for some time now. I've always said that the replacement for it would be either a VXR8 or a Monaro VXR but having spent some time with both they are out of the question. I just can't get a comfortable driving position as I'm too small, even with the chair right forward it feels a bit of a stretch to keep the clutch in which would make traffic a ball ache. :o Anyway........

I've been a fan of the E92 for some time now but I've always wanted a 335i but until recently they haven't been in my price range (£18,000) for a tidy example. This one has caught my eye http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2047943.htm. Is the M-Sport worth the price over the SE? What are the Autos like? Should I consider the 335d with that stupid amount of tourqe? What things should I be looking at when it comes to E92's?
 
Looks like a pretty sweet deal, I'm not sure about the spoiler personally. But I know the forums like it.

Fox will be along shortly to give real advice.
 
that one being Sytner, I would assume comes with 12 months BMW warranty on it, which is probably the best warranty for a BMW.
 
Princey said:
You say that like I'm completely eff'd without one, I know they are expensive to fix but are the know for being unreliable?
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Obviously there are people who can comment with much more authority than me, but I don't think they are inherently unreliable. But considering the potential bills compared to what a warranty costs, it's not a gamble I'd want to take
 
As mentioned it will come with a BMW used warranty, which is pretty good. Its as close as you can get to a full BMW warranty (new cars only).

Their used warranties used to be fantastic, no quibbles no trying to get out of replacing failed parts. I've heard that they are more stringent now.
 
The M sport looks better than an SE.
But I could probably live with an SE as long as it had sports seats and was a good deal.

The 335 has Sports supension anyway, although the E92 has lower suspension than an E90.
My advice would be to drive a 330 and a 335 in SE and Sports trim and see which you prefer, although that's if you're considering a 330.
FWIW, I wouldn't want a twin turbo without a warranty either!

I wouldn't want one without sat nav either, as the iDrive adds a whole bunch of other useful features, although the radio can be a bit of a faff.
 
335i all the way.

You wouldn't 100% need a warranty but the early ones had a two turbo setup and something about the fuel pumps had problems.

Anything pre 2007 is £400~ tax and doesn't have any ED stuff and a slightly worse off iDrive I think.

I wouldn't be too fussed between M Sport and SE as for once it's pretty much only the looks that change. The 335i already has M Sport seats and suspension as standard.

Remap very close to 360bhp-380bhp and obviously are pretty rapid.

Considering anyone you get is going to be 4 years old or newer and not moon mileage I'd opt for some sort of warranty as it's not gonna cost loads.

That one does seem very cheap though, almost too cheap. When I was looking a month back anything 2007 onwards was a lot more expensive cause of the tax and ED and other bits. Like a good M Sport was £22k~.
 
For the life of me i cant see why anyone would care what the tax costs on this sort of car.

If it is a worry surely its just not worth trying to drive one.

Thats not aimed at anyone thats just an observation by the way.

That car you found looks very nice.
 
Peerzy said:
That one does seem very cheap though, almost too cheap. When I was looking a month back anything 2007 onwards was a lot more expensive cause of the tax and ED and other bits. Like a good M Sport was £22k~.
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I know what you mean but being at a BMW Main dealer gives me confidence. Can the warranties be extended with BMW themselves?
 
DiamondMark said:
For the life of me i cant see why anyone would care what the tax costs on this sort of car.

If it is a worry surely its just not worth trying to drive one.

Thats not aimed at anyone thats just an observation by the way.

That car you found looks very nice.
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Yeah it seems to make the price jump quite a bit when you compare a MY2006 with a MY2007.

Also anything 2007 is still likely to be under BMW 3 year warranty which obviously adds to the cost.

Apart from that I think it's a few small iDrive changes and not much else. They've only just facelifted the e92 (2009?) so not anywhere near your budget.

Princey said:
I know what you mean but being at a BMW Main dealer gives me confidence. Can the warranties be extended with BMW themselves?
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Didn't realise it was BMW main dealer, unless it's povety spec or something then surely it is about £4k too cheap on quite a rare car. iDrive is an option, as is auto which is quite expensive, not sure about Bluetooth but M Sport obviously adds a fair wack. Sunroof as well?

I was looking at similiar SE's recently for £3k-£4k more from not main dealers....
 
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Princey -
I was in your situation a few weeks ago, ended up with a 335i
see thread
... and the car I got

be patient and you can definitely find a sweet spec, for the right price
the 335d is generally more expensive, and if you do the math the improved economy may or may not be worth it - your choice...

in terms of upgrades, a DMS remap will bring the 335i to about 380bhp, plus a proper LSD to boot can give you almost supercar performance on a budget
 
Princey said:
I know what you mean but being at a BMW Main dealer gives me confidence. Can the warranties be extended with BMW themselves?
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Yes.

Buying a BMW from a main BMW dealer with a BMW warranty is about as close as you can get to having 100% confidence in the car. If the car is keenly priced too, you're laughing.
 
Princey said:
Very nice bazaarboy the SE does actually look very nice.
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thanks :)

here's a pic

5004383093_1bb1cbee90_z.jpg


I wasn't fussed about the M-Sport version, and I actually prefer the SE look. Having upgraded from a Fabia VRS I am still grinning every time I drive the beemer lol
 
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naefeart said:
Yes.

Buying a BMW from a main BMW dealer with a BMW warranty is about as close as you can get to having 100% confidence in the car. If the car is keenly priced too, you're laughing.
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This.

I think that's rather good value, considering it's fully specced (heated seats, 16:9 Nav, bluetooth, sunroof, etc..)

I quite like the spoiler, too!

I can't see that one staying for too long. If you're serious about getting a 335i, hurry up :p
 
mjt said:
This.

I think that's rather good value, considering it's fully specced (heated seats, 16:9 Nav, bluetooth, sunroof, etc..)

I quite like the spoiler, too!

I can't see that one staying for too long. If you're serious about getting a 335i, hurry up :p
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with all due respect, don't hurry up!
Having spent a long time looking for a nice example, I have found the BMW dealer cars are about £3000 more that equivalent private sellers.
For the difference you can buy a warranty and have change left over

if you play the long game you will find right car for you - and IMHO the M-sport you're looking at has slightly too high miles...
 
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